Father’s Day has chance to be special for Tell Your Daddy as he takes aim at G3 Poker

Flying P Stable’s Tell Your Daddy will be looking to make Father’s Day extra special as he seeks his first career stakes score when competing in Sunday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Poker for 4-year-olds and up going one mile on Belmont’s Widener turf course.

The 5-year-old Scat Daddy gelding has posted the best two Beyer Speed Figures of his 21-start career in his last two races, earning matching 98 numbers for running fourth in the seven-furlong Elusive Quality on April 24 and following with a third-place effort – his first stakes placing in six attempts – in the one-mile Seek Again over the Belmont turf on May 22.

Tell Your Daddy, bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm, drew post 8 in the nine-horse Poker field. The Tom Morley trainee is looking to win his first race in 11 starts since besting optional claimers in February 2020 at Fair Grounds. He is listed at 8-1 on the morning line, competing against the likes of the Chad Brown-trained even-money favorite Raging Bull and 4-1 selection Front Run the Fed.

“He’s doing well. We’re in a tough spot, but we have a good draw and the horse is in excellent order,” said Morley, who took over Tell Your Daddy’s training responsibilities for his 2021 campaign. “We looked at him as a horse who was probably not getting to run the right trips when he was running those 5 1/2 furlong races around Kentucky and Louisiana. In the Shakertown last year at Keeneland, he finished near some very accomplished sprinters and came from a very long way back.

Luis Saez will ride Tell Your Daddy on Sunday.